I definitely think, barring Breath of the Wild, I prefer the top down Zeldas to the 3D ones. They’re tighter paced, more creative in their puzzle and enemy design and they’re ironically more open compared to how guided the 3D Zeldas tend to be. Link’s Awakening has a vibe like none of the other Zeldas. Most of them have a certain darkness, some edge to them, this one is a lot more goofy and lighthearted, amplified in the remake by this glossy chibi toybox look. It’s not until the latter part of the game that some darker story beats sneak up on you, and I honestly think they hit a lot harder as a result, this is probably my second favourite Zelda story behind Ocarina of Time. If I had one complaint, it would be how obtuse some of the game’s puzzles are. If I had another, it would be how the framerate sometimes chugs on the Switch. If I had one more, it’d be that I miss having the big chest with the item stand out from the rest in the dungeon like in Link to the Past. I just think having it established as your goal right from the start was a lot more motivating than just having it hidden among all the other chests in the level.